Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST TEAM IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS( PERIOD)
Review: Anything about the Lakers is great. They are the greatest franchise in pro sports, and no one can argue ; 22 final apperances in the last 44 years, and 15 wins(yep 15, this year is a guarantee)I have always loved the Lakers,probably since I was conceived,everyone in my family is a Laker fan(everybody).I lived in LA alot of my life as well.I almost forgot, the DVD is the ultimate collection for any true Laker fan, or for any fan of greatness( which the lakers are all about), or for any SacramentA Queens fan who wants to know what a real team is.Yep the Lakers are the ultimate love em or hate em team. And I love em.
Rating:
Summary: It's All Good -- But Where's Kobe?
Review: Finally! The 2000-2001 Championship DVD was NEVER released on DVD (only on VHS) until now! You get all the recent 'back-to-back-to-back' championship dvds as well as the early years. The Showtime Dynasty was incredible. To relive those fabulous years by watching this DVD is so nostaligic. My only rant is -- where's Kobe? His picture is not ornamated anywhere on this DVD, yet there's a pic of DFish and Rick Fox. Is there some sort of conspiracy with Kobe not being mentioned on the DVD covers? And not mentioned as a Laker great? I sincerely hope Warner Bros and the Lakers organization have a good explaination for this. Kobe is a cornerstone of the current Lakers dynasty as much (and if not more) than Shaq.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Franchise of All Time
Review: Guess we were a little premature in predicting a 15th championship for the Lakers this year. Oh well, it just makes this set an even more fitting collectible for all Laker fans out there. After all it might be a few years before we see them win another one, so it puts some closure to the dynasty for now. Til they win another one, we can always check out these DVD's and revisit happier times with the Lakers!
P.S. All you Boston fans out there seem to be suffering from mass amnesia. Sure they have more championships but the Celtics havent been relevant for more than a decade! Are you guys pretending the last 18 years didnt happen? Since 1986 the Celtics have exactly ZERO championships. The championship drought is approaching 20 years and it doesnt look like its gonna end anytime soon.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Franchise of All Time
Review: Guess we were a little premature in predicting a 15th championship for the Lakers this year. Oh well, it just makes this set an even more fitting collectible for all Laker fans out there. After all it might be a few years before we see them win another one, so it puts some closure to the dynasty for now. Til they win another one, we can always check out these DVD's and revisit happier times with the Lakers!
P.S. All you Boston fans out there seem to be suffering from mass amnesia. Sure they have more championships but the Celtics havent been relevant for more than a decade! Are you guys pretending the last 18 years didnt happen? Since 1986 the Celtics have exactly ZERO championships. The championship drought is approaching 20 years and it doesnt look like its gonna end anytime soon.
Rating:
Summary: 80's Lakers - YES ; BOKE's 200's Lakers - NO
Review: I dunno why these phanboys gotta mention that it should have 15 championships on it, umm, the Phakers only one 14 titles. Arrogance like that is typical of today's Laker phans. And that kind of arrogance doomed the team this year. None of that 8 on 5 talk.Anyways, this DVD is a must have. I am a big fan of the 80's Lakers. That alone makes this a "Worthy" purchase. BOKE was not included in it because of the legal thing.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY GOOD, BUT COULD BE BETTER
Review: I really enjoyed most of this compilation. The early years stuff really shows you how far TV coverage has improved over the years, as well as the announcers. The players from one era to another are always compared, like the 70's Lakers would kill today's bunch. I used to think that, but no longer. Most of the great players of yesteryear in my opinion don't compare in talent to today's NBA, with of course the obvious exceptions. Also the attitude of today's players and all the money really hurts the game. This 5 disk set is layed out very well, and nicely organized. I had hoped there would be a bunch on Chick Hearn, the Laker announcer, but I haven't seen much in this set. For Laker fans in the L.A. area, Chick was a huge part of the Lakers. All in all, I enjoyed this production as I would imagine any Laker fan would.
Rating:
Summary: Where's Twinkle?!
Review: I still have the VHS "Lakers 87," even though I have no VCR player! Maybe I would have broken down and got a VCR just to watch the worn out tape. But it's a non-issue! This disc set is truly a treasure trove for - not just B-Ball - but for *sports* at its best! The Lakers of the 80's, according to Dr. J, are the best NBA team ever. They were indeed the most exciting, bringing team play, fast breaks, and show biz appeal to a new level. Remember how almost every game, the Lakers stepped on the court to start the 3rd quarter... and pulled away to quick huge leads? Like Butter! The *pinnacle* of beauty was (sorry M. Jordon) Magic on the break, in the middle to wingman Worthy, or Scott, or Green, or Ramb-O! It's the coup de grace, baby! Hear color man Tommy Heinson (aka Fred Flinstone) call the action. It's yubba, dubba, doo time baby!!! Along with an Ali compilation, this is THE DVD -- to see the best of sport in the modern era. Lakers vs. Celtics is a greater style/skills/culture clash than Ali/Frazier or Foreman. What a matchup... slam dunk! Just one thing, though: Where is Twinkle Toes Jackson, "master of the finger roll" (white off-guard circa 1976-7)? Some footage of Twinkle doing his reverse roll, 180 roll, tootsie roll, rolling thunder would have been awesome! And remember when Twinkle launched from *the free line* for a finger roll!! Twink was solo on the fast break, Chick Hearns announcing, "Mission to control, prepare for take off!" Twink was still about 8 feet from the hoop when he rolled the ball up, and landed 6-7 feet from the hoop!! But while he was in flight the crowd was going c-raazy, flash bulbs were popping everywhere!! Then Twinkle released his "landing gear!" Anyway, I thought they could have shown a few minutes of Twinkle.
Rating:
Summary: Magic's VITAL historical importance - don't miss it!
Review: I've been a big Lakers fan over the years...was too young to watch Magic in 1980, so was really excited to see this dvd collection, just on that point initially. Boy do I feel Soooooo fortunate to have grown up in the 80's with the Magic show! But having watched that memorable game (vs. Sixers) and all the subsequent games included, I think that for anyone who loves this game like I do, this is both an exciting trip down memory lane, and (more importantly) a historical lesson in just how much the game has changed and has affected broadcast sports and the players who play it. I think especially for younger people today, who didn't grow up with Magic and Bird (not to mention a guy named Dr. J), this is especially meaningful. I don't think anyone can underestimate the historical importance of Magic and Bird...but especially Magic, givin his dominance of what we use to call "team basketball". The real joy is seeing the actual games, from beginning to end. The most important point to this collection is to sit back, watch, and appreciate just how great the Lakers were in the '80's (not to mention the Celtics and Sixers). The Lakers played such incredibly beautiful, orchestrated fast-break basketball. These days (or even in the 90's) you would be hardpressed to find more than a couple decent fastbreaks in a game that didn't end in a sloppy turnover or mistake. On the other hand, for a real lesson in what the fast-break truely was, sit back and watch the games on these dvds. You just knew when the Magic Johnson fast-break started, something good would happen...either a dunk by Worthy, or an outside shot by Scott...guaranteed 90% of the time. That calculated, harmony and spectacle is extremely rare these days. It's almost like you knew it was coming when you watch these tapes. I had forgotten that feeling. I got goosebumps just watching these tapes again. I can't overstate the way Magic controlled the tempo, pace and flow of the game was just incredible, something lacking in the past post-Jordan era. It really shows how team basketball has changed over the years since Magic retired. Can you honestly watch Magic's Lakers games and find any team in the past 6 or 7 years to compare it to? I can't. Not even the "new" dynasty Lakers (whom I like too / it's just not the same). You can compare who the greatest team or player is for eternity. In my book, Magic is the greatest team player, and Jordan is the greatest one on one player. But put the Jordan's dynasty against Magic's dynasty...come on, it's ALL Lakers! Jordan didn't have a Boston team to deal with in the 90's for a decade! End of conversation. I rest my case.
Rating:
Summary: excellent dvd, but is not perfect
Review: if you're a laker fan or a basketball fan, this dvd is worth buying, and it is not too highly priced, but it is flawed. 1. why is kobe bryant not pictured anywhere, yet rick fox and derek fisher are? i love fish and fox, but it seems odd that kobe wouldn't be pictured. 2. where is chick hearn? they should have included a history of chick and a game that he announced (along with stu lantz...chick 'n' stu) 3. i'm glad to get the game, but i know they could have found the whole games (ask laker fans, i know some who have them, including myself). 4. a complete list of everyone who has ever been a laker and when they were a laker would have been nice. 5. where is game 7 of the 2000 western conference finals vs. portland? ok, i'm done. if i could give this dvd 41/2 stars, i would have. even with the flaws i mentioned, it's still a great dvd. i'm very happy with it. it's nice to watch the 1972 game and see pat riley and phil jackson playing (among countless others).
Rating:
Summary: Muy Excelente, But It Could Have Been Better
Review: Needless to say, this isn't the "complete history" of the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, but it makes a gallant effort. This compilation merely covers 10 of the 14 Laker championships with the annual year-end videos and 9 edited postseason games from Laker history. To save time, I'll break down what this DVD set has and what it needs.
WHAT IT HAS:
Several decent overviews of Laker history and its various periods. You learn a little bit about the Minneapolis years and the first decade in L.A., as well as the Lakers' recurrent futility in the Finals against the Boston Celtics during the 1960s.
However, the emphasis is clearly from 1980 onwards. The NBA hadn't yet become a multi-billion dollar industry, so the league didn't feel the need to commemorate each individual championship year with a team video. To be honest, I preferred the videos from the 1980s because they give you a better idea of how the regular season and playoffs unfolded.
If you look closely, you'll see Paula Abdul as a Laker Girl, alleged wife-slayer Robert Blake cheering on the purple & gold, O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen chillin' courtside, and Larry Bird singing "We Are the World."
If you already own these videos, then you've already seen much of this set.
THE GAMES
1972 NBA Finals--Game 5: Jerry West FINALLY gets that ring (after losing seven previous NBA Finals series). The film for the end of the game was lost, unfortunately. However, it's still fun to watch Phil Jackson and Pat Riley square off against each other as players. Also, announcers Keith Jackson and Bill Russell don't appear to like each other very much.
1980 NBA Finals--Game 6: The Sixers played the Lakers MUCH tougher in this game than league historians would have you believe. Magic scored 42 with Kareem out, but the unsung hero of this game was Jamaal Wilkes (37 points). Also notable was the fact that this game was tape delayed until midnight when it originally aired. Brent Musberger conducts an amateurish phone interview with Kareem. Bill Russell is dead-on accurate in his prediction for the game. Former Laker (and long-time Utah Jazz announcer) "Hot" Rod Hundley makes an appearance too.
1982 NBA Finals--Game 1: The most underrated game in this set. Watch the Lakers--down in the 3rd by 15--explode on a 40-9 run and win the game. This is fast break offense at its best, my friends. Unsung heroes: Jamaal Wilkes and Norm Nixon.
1985 NBA Finals--Game 6: The Lakers finally beat the Celtics...at the Boston Garden no less! Major redemption after losing to the C's in '84 (something Celtics fans have never gotten over), getting blown out 148-114 in Game 1, and going 0-8 all-time in the NBA Finals against Boston. The Lakers showed a lot of character with this win. Embittered Celtics fans still make excuses that Bird was injured from getting into a bar fight. Unlike his fans, Bird was classy and made no excuses. Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn are the best of the network announcers, by the way.
1987 NBA Finals--Game 4: Magic's "baby sky hook" after a furious LA comeback against the Celtics. Probably the best game in this DVD set.
1988 NBA Finals--Game 7: The Lakers barely hold off the Pistons led by the injured Isiah Thomas. Unsung hero is James Worthy who was a MONSTER in this game (36 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists). Pat Riley's finest moment as a coach.
2000 NBA Finals--Game 4: Kobe Bryant leads LA to victory in overtime against the Indiana Pacers. Unsung hero is Robert Horry who played an all-around excellent game. Good game, but the Western Conference Finals Game 7 against Portland was much better.
2001 NBA Finals--Game 5: The Lakers toy with a hobbled Sixers team before putting them away to win their 13th title. Unsung hero is Derek Fisher who hit cold-blooded 3's every time Philly seemed to get back in the game.
2002 Western Conference Finals--Game 7: One of the greatest basketball games I've ever seen. On the road, in overtime, in the most hostile arena in the league, the poised Lakers outlast the jittery Sacramento Kings. Perhaps Phil Jackson's greatest moment as a coach. A total team effort here.
WHAT IT NEEDS:
First of all, the games need an alternate audio track where we can get the "word's eye view" from Chick Hearn. Except for the '87 and '88 championship videos, very little Chick. This is not good.
Secondly, ESPN SportsCentury-type documentaries on Laker greats such as George Mikan, John Kundla, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Pat Riley, Gail Goodrich and others would have made this the perfect collection. That's probably more than could be fit into this 22 hour, 18 minute collection, but it would have been nice.
Third, Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals against Portland is needed.
OTHER NOTES:
This compilation came out during the 2004 playoffs. It doesn't contain Derek Fisher's 0.4 miracle shot against San Antonio in the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals. It also contains ZERO mention of Kobe Bryant on the cover because #8 was still battling rape charges in Colorado. In retrospect, this was a genius move! Kobe sucks!
CBS' hoops coverage is the best of the bunch and it contains the best music too. John Tesh's annoying music for the NBC games is here as well, I'm sorry to say.
So, this is a must-buy for any die-hard Laker fan. I'm hoping the NBA will come out with Vol. 2 with some of my recommended additions and alterations.
|
